Content distribution using peer-to-peer protocols (P2P) accounts for a large percentage of traffic generated on the Internet. The content may be legitimately or illegitimately distributed via P2P. For example, some content may be legitimately purchased and downloaded by users via P2P. However, some content may be pirated and illegally copied and distributed P2P violating copyright laws and reducing revenue for the content producers and distributors.
Currently, no system exists for monitoring what content is distributed via P2P. If an individual wants to track a particular content title that is distributed via P2P, the individual must track content on a single content title basis. In other words, the individual must know ahead of time which content title they want to monitor and perform the monitoring manually for each content title. This becomes a very time consuming and laborious process.